​Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Energy Minister Dr. Yuval Steinitz and Petroleum Commissioner at the Ministry of Energy Yossi Wurzburger, marked the arrival off the coast of Israel of the Leviathan rig jacket, in an official ceremony held at sea.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Energy Minister Dr. Yuval Steinitz and Petroleum Commissioner at the Ministry of Energy Yossi Wurzburger, marked the arrival off the coast of Israel of the Leviathan rig jacket, in an official ceremony held at sea.

The jacket, made in Houston, Texas, is approx. 98 meters high, weighs approx. 15,000 tons and was installed at sea at a depth of approx. 86 meters. The operational part of the rig will arrive in the second half of 2019 and be installed on the jacket. A run-in test will be carried out upon completion of construction, before the gas is piped to the domestic market at the end of 2019.

​Energy Minister, Dr. Yuval Steinitz: "The arrival of the Leviathan rig base in Israel marks the beginning of the last phase in the development of the reservoir, which is the largest natural resource discovered in the State of Israel. This is a festive day for the State, because the development of Leviathan, to be completed in several months' time, will make a huge contribution to Israel for decades to come, enriching the State treasury by billions for the benefit of citizens' education, health and welfare, and enabling the shutdown of the coal-fired power plants in Hadera and Ashkelon, guaranteeing cleaner air for the next generations, and serving as an essential diplomatic instrument through the export of some of the gas to Egypt, Jordan and Europe".